Family Physicians Join with CVS Health to Improve Coordination Across Patients’ “Medical Neighborhood”

Friday, November 13, 2015

Campaign Will Educate Consumers and Advocate for Continuity of Care, Increased Provider Collaboration

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 13, 2015 – The Health is Primary campaign today announced a collaboration with CVS Health to increase coordination of care between primary care providers and retail pharmacies and clinics, including CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic, the walk-in medical clinic of CVS Health. This initiative will advocate for patient access to coordinated, continuous care and help to ensure that all consumers have access to a primary care provider. Together, Health is Primary and CVS Health will work to educate consumers about the medical neighborhood and how the different parts of the health care system—primary care, pharmacy, retail clinics, acute and post-acute care, diagnostic services, public health, and community and social services—play a role in keeping patients healthy.

“We cannot address the biggest health care problems in this country without a strong primary care foundation and true collaboration across the health care system,” said FMAHealth President and Board Chair Glen Stream, MD. “Patients need a regular source of care and they need to know that, wherever they access care, they can be assured of a system that is coordinated and working together to keep them healthy. Across the country, CVS Health and its MinuteClinic are already working with primary care providers to strengthen the medical neighborhood. We want to elevate this model of collaboration to ensure that all patients understand and have access to continuous, coordinated care.”

The Health is Primary campaign will work with CVS Health to disseminate patient materials that provide a roadmap for understanding the various resources available through the medical neighborhood while helping them know when and where to access these services. In addition, the campaign will highlight models of collaboration that can help accelerate a shift to a primary care-based health care system.

“Patients should expect both convenient access as well as high-quality health care,” said Andrew J. Sussman, M.D., Executive Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health and President, CVS/minuteclinic. “We know that patient health and outcomes improve when patients utilize the resources available to them throughout the medical neighborhood and when providers across the health care system are working together. By partnering with primary care and family medicine, we will continue to improve provider collaboration and help ensure all patients have access to primary care within a coordinated medical neighborhood.”

About Health is Primary

Family Medicine for America's Health launched a national three-year campaign, Health is Primary, to raise awareness of the role of primary care in the health care system and demonstrate its value in delivering on the Triple Aim of better health, better care and lower costs. The campaign is traveling to cities around the country to engage local stakeholders and showcase community level interventions that are working to enhance and expand primary care and improve health. Health is Primary also coincides with a five-year strategic initiative to transform family medicine to meet the changing needs of the health care system.

About Family Medicine for America’s Health

Family Medicine for America’s Health, the organization behind Health is Primary, is a collaboration between the nation’s eight leading family medicine organizations to drive continued improvement of the U.S. health care system and demonstrate the value of true primary care.

We represent:

American Academy of Family Physicians;

American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation;

American Board of Family Medicine;

American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians;

Association of Departments of Family Medicine;

Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors

North American Primary Care Research Group; and

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 7,900 retail drugstores, more than 1,000 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with more than 70 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable, effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

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About CVS Health

At CVS Health, we share a clear purpose: helping people on their path to better health. Through our health services, plans and community pharmacists, we’re pioneering a bold new approach to total health. Making quality care more affordable, accessible, simple and seamless, to not only help people get well, but help them stay well in body, mind and spirit.